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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · band · patient · fork · prune · arm · wound · spell

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — an injury
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. band — a music group
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spell — magic
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. spell — letters
  21. hand — help
  22. band — a ring
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com